From the Press Interpreter:
One legislative item on the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People’s Congress schedule for 2005 has drawn particular attention. In March, the committee will consider the abolition of the ‘Regulations for the Management of Migrant Workers Engaging in Work or Business in Beijing’ – regulations that came into force a decade ago, in July 1995.
This has generally been met with approval. Some think this indicates that in the future the government will treat Beijing residents and migrants equally, and that the manner and theory of the city’s management of its migrant population is changing.
Statistics show 11 million registered permanent residents of Beijing, and about 3.85 million migrant residents who have been living in Beijing for 3 or more months. These migrant workers are employed in all kinds of jobs, but for many years they have received unequal treatment, with the government using administrative measures to control them.
Translated By Roddy Flagg.